Finding The Angel Within
by proteamcthulhu
Summary: After the war, things almost go back to normal. But Nico has two secrets, ones that he'll have to put all his effort into hiding, and that gets harder when he enrolls in a club. One that no one expected him to join. Will notices something is a little off with the son of Hades, and sets of to find the depth of the darkest boy in camp. What happens when a new player enters the game?
1. The Big Bang

General POV

"What was that about?" Will Solace asked with a curious grin.

"Something I've been meaning to do." Nico frowned, but inside he was elated. It felt like a weight had been lifted of his shoulders, one he didn't even know he had been carrying.

"Okay," Will said, giving him a strange look. He appeared to be, almost, staring into Nico's soul. Will reached out, gently, but firmly grabbing Nico's wrist. "Now you owe me three days of bed rest, di Angelo."

Nico groaned, while being dragged towards the infirmary. "Huh, fine. I guess that won't be too bad." After this, Nico sighed.

Will grinned cheekily. "Am I really that bad, Death Boy?" he inquired.

Nico gave him one of his piercing death glares. "Don't call me Death Boy. Or, trust me, I'll call you something terrible."

Will winked, sticking out his tongue. "Like what?" he asked in a mimicking tone. Will continued to drag Nico towards the infirmary.

"Sunshine, Blondie, Medical Man. Don't make me shadow-travel all the way to the Central Park," Nico snapped at Will. It was meant to be a joke, but Will's face paled.

"DON'T YOU DARE," Will quickened his pace, pulling Nico the last couple steps towards the infirmary. Will Solace continued to drag Nico di Angelo through the infirmary. Nico's wrist was starting to ache where Will was grabbing him. He was also becoming extremely tired, now that his adrenaline was fading away. Eventually, Will pulled Nico into a small room, adorned only by a small cot and a metal fold-up chair. In the corner, there was a small table.

"Now stay here, Death Boy. Don't leave until I get back. I just have a couple of patients to attend to, and then I'll be back. If you leave before then, I will personally hunt you down and double your bed rest!" Will attempted to give Nico a suspicious glare, but failed when his mouth twitched into a little grin.

Nico gave Will a pouty look. "What, you don't trust me? I thought we were friends."

Will took a sharp breath, hoping Nico didn't notice it. "He thinks we're friends," Will thought, his heart beating faster. "Why is my heart speeding up? I am pretty sure I'm straight."

Nico tapped Will on the arm, making the blonde jump, a tiny blush covering his cheeks. "Umm, Will are you okay? You were just staring off into space for a moment."

"Oh, umm yeah. Sorry about that. I best be off!" Will said. "See you later!" With that, Will walked out of the room.

...

Will walked down into the infirmary, talking to the girl at the receptionist desk. It was one of his half-siblings. "So, which patients should I help before my shift is over?" Will asked.

"Ummm, Will, you don't have a shift right now." She said.

"Well now I do, so who should I help," Will stubbornly replied.

"Stubborn teenagers," She grumbled. "Well, you can see Kayla at Room 3, Noah is in Room 7, Larry is in Room 8 (I had to drag him in, he thought he was fine..), and then, if you have time, Julian is in Room 17."

"Thanks!" Will replied cheerfully, basically skipping to the first room.

...

Nico lay there, on the cot in his room, thinking. Will was pretty cute, but did Nico like him that way? When Will grabbed Nico's arm, he had felt a small tingle going up his spine, making him extremely uncomfortable.

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter, seeing as he is two years older than me and probably straight," The boy thought.

Nico's brain tried to comprehend love, but eventually his eyelids started to sink shut, and he fell asleep with one last thought. "Well, I will just leave love and confusion to those Aphrodite kids".

...

Will walked into the room where Kayla was. "Hey, Kayla, what happened?" Will asked.

The girl glanced up, "Oh, you know, I was fighting some Roman, and arm seems to be broken. It's kinda bloody," Kayla held up her arm, and sure enough, it was bent at an odd angle. Her sleeve was soak in dark blood, making her sleeve stick to his arm.

"Ok. I can fix that," Will grinned reassuringly. He went to a cupboard and opened it, pulling out a block of ambrosia. Will also pulled out a cheese knife, which he used to cut two slices of ambrosia. Then he turned and passed them to Kayla.

The blonde, shaggy-haired girl gratefully took them, wincing as she shifted positions to eat the ambrosia.

"Thanks bro," Kayla said, as her arm slowly started to mend itself, and the blood stopped leaking out. The blonde girls eyelids closed, and within a minute, she was sound asleep.

"Get well soon, Kayla," Will said with a grin.

...

Will walked down the hallway towards the room Noah was staying in. Will felt kind of sad for Noah, he had experienced a tough childhood before camp, being raised in an orphanage, then having his entire adopted family die in a car crash. Then returning to an orphanage. He always hid in the Athena cabin, and was seldom seen outside of it.

Soon, Will reached the end of the hallway, and knocked on the door.

"If this is another one of those kids asking me to build a snowman, there isn't any snow," Noah said in a deep, dry, very flat toned voice. Will chuckled and opened the door, a small grin on his face.

Inside was a small boy wearing a plain white t-shirt. He had blonde, almost white, curly hair, that he repeatedly twisted around his finger. "Noah, I'm the doctor. Plus, nobody is allowed in here just to mess around.

"I see..." Noah said. He had a long cut on the right side of his face, stretching from around two centimeters below his hairline, to his jaw line. He also had suffered from a recent heart attack, with no explainable cause.

Will Solace gracefully reached into a drawer to pull out a roll of bandages and some ambrosia- this time already cut up. From around his neck he grabbed his stethoscope.

Will took the bandages and cut off a length of it, and pulled out some medical tape. He then walked up to near and helped attach the bandages to his ugly cut. The blonde haired boy stood there, without flinching or tensing a muscle. Next, Will gave Noah a few pieces of ambrosia. While Noah ate the ambrosia, Will put on his stethoscope.

Just as the other boy finished his ambrosia, Will said (in his usual chipper tone), "Breath!"

Will reached down his stethoscope to feel Noah's heartbeat. This was a necessary precaution, seeing as he had recently had a heart attack. The son of Apollo heard an even, slow heartbeat from Noah, and retracted the tool from the other boy's chest.

"Seems like your okay. If you feel the need, you may stay the night. If not, you have the doctor's opinion to leave," Will told Noah.

"I was already planning on leaving, with or without your permission. Quite frankly, infirmaries are rather boring. No puzzles or brain stimulation at all," Noah said, getting up and leaving the room. Will sighed and followed him out, going the opposite direction, towards the next patient's room.

Will walked down the brightly lit hallway, thinking of Nico di Angelo. That kid was pretty dark, and he seemed to prefer being alone. Nico even had this automatic reaction to flinch when someone touched him. Will wondered if anyone (and if so, who) had hurt Nico in the past. If anyone had- Will would beat the living shit out of them.

"Wait, am I being over-protective? Or weird? I mean we only just met," Will mumbled out loud.

Next was Larry. He was around 5 ft 8, and rarely talked to anyone. He had quite a tsundere personality, paired with a stoic expression. The kid was one of the strongest at camp, even through his faults.

Will sighed, opening the door to room eight. Inside, there was nothing but a swift, chilly breeze that swept through the room. 'Strange," Will thought. "The window is open."

He stood there, confused. Where was Larry? And then it dawned on him- Larry probably fled through the window. He disliked talking to people, and couldn't stand people touching him.

Will sighed again, this time much bigger and louder than before. He slammed the door and walked out into the hallway, storming towards the receptionist.

"That kid, Larry, left. If he is really that badly hurt, you can send Wendy to get him. You know her right, Sasha," Will said, remembering the orange haired girl's name. She was kinda cute, if you liked girls with hair as short as their temper.

"Which one is Wendy again?" She asked, trying not to look too upset. She always tried to be on her best behavior in front of the head for each cabin.

"Wendy is the short girl with black hair that goes down below her waist. She wears dresses..." Will replied.

"Oh. That one. Okay, I'll ask her to find and bring back Larry, or at the least bandage him," Sasha replied with a monotone voice.

"Bye," Will said, walking towards Julian's room. He couldn't stop thinking about Nico, his pale skin and cold attitude. Will kept seeing hid dark, nervous eyes, that darted around looking for threats. He also saw his warmer (but still cold) eyes that looked happy, but truly alone. Man, Will wanted to comfort that cute boy.

'Wait-cute? I don't know if I even play his way though...' Will though, extremely confused. Instead of trying to puzzle it out, he decided to just hurry on to Julian's room.

...

Nico stared at the wall, thinking about his life after the war. Leo was gone, but Nico had only known him as a crew member. Besides, Nico wasn't even sure if Leo was dead. He couldn't sense the son of Hephaestus's soul, and his death had felt weird.

Nico also had friends now, at least they said they were his friends. Nico didn't really know what friends were. Reyna, Jason, and maybe Will. Oh god, Nico hoped he and Will were friends. He couldn't really place what his feelings for Will were, whether they were platonic, romantic, or neither.

The son of Apollo was rather-well, very- cute. His blonde hair seemed to change shades as the day went on, to match the sun. He was so stubborn, and when you tried to scold or reason with him, he got the cutest expression.

Hmmm, maybe he did like the son of Apollo. He still didn't know.

Nico suddenly heard a voice yelling at him. He knew this, it was the restless ghosts, telling him of how he would never belong with anyone. Nico couldn't stand to listen to it anymore. Hopefully Will got back soon.

...

Will, finally done with Julian- who ended up needing a lot of medical attention- walked back towards Nico's room.

Once he had arrived, he knocked on the door, opening it without waiting for a response. Inside sat Nico, laying down with his shoulders hunched and his face looking pained and frustrated. Nico was breathing heavily, and his pale hands were clamped down over his ears.


	2. Excuses And Lunch

Will rushed over to Nico, shaking the child of Hades. "NICO," Will exclaimed. Nico was shaking in the blonde's arms.

"Y-yeah. I... I'm fi-fine," Nico whimpered. He was still shaking, but far less. Will gave Nico a look of pure annoyance.

"Death Boy, why in Hades are you shaking? What did you do?" Will asked, groaning the last sentence. Nico looked up, seemingly surprised.

"Nothing. Just another migraine," Nico lied, "And drop the nickname". Nico looked around, finally realising that he was laying on Will, while the son of Apollo held Nico, almost like a little kid. The dark haired boy pushed the healer off of him, annoyed.

Will blushed ever so slightly. The blonde was a little bit offended by Nico's reaction, and very disturbed that he had gone straight to holding Nico, almost as if they were a couple. _'Honestly, I don't even swing his way,'_ Will thought, stopping his line of thought before he could confuse his mind even further. He preferred not to think about his sexuality.

"Well... What have you been up to all day?" Will cheekily demanded, his former "Sunshine" behaviour returning.

"Nothing really. I have just been thinking," Nico said in his usual monotone way. Will gave him an odd look.

"And what were you thinking about?" Will inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing in particular," Nico sighed. Seeing Will's annoyed expression, he added, "Or anything and everything."

Will rolled his eyes. The silence became awkward within seconds. Luckily, something soon came along to end the silence: the horn signaling dinner. Nico looked up at Will pleadingly, silently wishing to be allowed to attend dinner.

"Huh, fine!" Will deeply sighed.

...

At the dining tables, everyone was crowded onto a couple tables. The normal seating arrangements had been neglected, seeing as nobody cared for sitting with only their step-siblings. The Hades table, along with both the Poseidon and the Zeus tables were empty. The wooden tables were lonely and abandoned.

Without realising it, Nico walked over to his table and sat down, only after he first sacrificed a portion of his meal to the gods. For some reason, the Italian kid preferred the shady, dark, and lonely table to all of the loud, sunny tables where everybody else preferred to sit. Actually, he knew the reason. It was simple. He hated loud noises.

Whilst Nico was seated at the Hades table, Will was talking to Jason.

"So, you and Nico are pals now?" Jason said, raising his eyebrow towards the end. Will, being oblivious, didn't realise what Jason was hinting at. Though, Jason was a pretty subtle guy.

"Ummm, yeah I guess. He looks so sad all the time. I mean... why did he go all the way over there just to eat dinner? He could have sat over here. He should be talking to his Camp Jupiter friends. They are leaving soon..." Will told Jason, trailing off at the end.

Will was an extreme optimist. He walked around, his blonde hair waving behind him, with his stupid jokes and bright smile, lightening up the entire camp. He never told a patient that they would die, he really thought that they could live. Or maybe he was just to nice...

"Hey, if you think Nico is lonely, let's go sit by him," Jason stated, in a very matter-of-fact tone. Jason then got up from the table, picking up his plate of food. Will, seeing Jason get up, followed him over a few tales towards where the son of Hades was sitting.

"Hey, Nico, how ya doin?" Will asked, in his usual bubbly and excited voice. He looked, if possible, happier than before. But apparently, Jason was the only one who noticed, so he kept it to himself. Honestly, Jason thought they would be the best couple.

"Uh... Okay I guess," Nico mumbled. The dark haired boy wasn't used to all the attention he had been receiving recently. I guess you just can't forget a nickname like 'The Ghost King' very easily. He was only fourteen. Percy had been sixteen by the time he became famous. Nico was an entire two years younger. He wanted to grow up, maybe make a friend or two. He didn't want to make unnecessary chit chat.

The silence was beginning to get awkward. Just as Jason was debating if he should walk away, Reyna walked over, breaking the silence.

"Hey Nico! And Jason. You're the head counselor of Apollo, right? What is your name?" Reyna said, inquisitively.

"Yeah! My name is Will Solace!" Will told Reyna. Reyna thought about how sweet and overly excited Will was. He was like... the ultimate optimist. Yes, that is what he is.

At that moment, Hazel also walked over. She was arm in arm with another girl, one that none of them had seen before. The girl had black, curly hair that went down to her waist. Her hair was both messy and neat at the same time. Her eyes were brown pools of light, and you could tell her emotions with a single glance. She was wearing ripped jeans. Not the type that you buy ripped to look cool, but the type with genuine holes and tears, memories sewn into the fabric. The girl was a newcomer, considering she wasn't wearing a camp t-shirt, but a blue soccer t-shirt. Slim, scars from years ago could be seen along her collarbone, and another scar curled around her neck before disappearing beneath her shirt.

"This is Amber. She just passed through the gates, not an hour ago. She was immediately claimed, by Demeter," Hazel told the group. Amber looked really nervous, and kept looking around as if she was expecting someone else to pop out of nowhere.

"Hello Amber! I'm Will, the guy who looks like a football player is Jason, Nico is the dark-haired boy, and Reyna is that Puerto Rican girl who radiates authority," Will said to Amber.


	3. Suppressed Memories

Nico's POV

This new Amber kid seems pretty nice. People aren't really my thing, in general, but I think I should try to be nice. She has this aura about her, one that makes me want to befriend her.

Hazel shot me the "go interact and make new friends or I'll hurt you" look. So this is how it's gonna go down. Really? My own family has turned against me!

"Hello Amber. As Will pointed out, my name is Nico di Angelo. I'm the only son of Hades- Hazel is a daughter of Pluto. She's Roman. How has your first day at camp been?" I said kindly, but still with my normal straight face, a cold tone lacing through the kindness. I didn't mean to come across as rude, but this is my normal self.

"Cool! So your name is Nico of Angel? That's a neat name. My name is Amber Sálice. And so far, my day has been okay. It feels like someone is pulling something over my eyes, ya know?" Amber said. I hadn't realised it, but she spoke with an Italian accent. She also looked quite Italian, with her long black hair.

"Your name is interesting, too. Amber Sálice... ," I said. Amber opened and closed her mouth, trying to phrase a question.

"I'm sorry to interrupt this new and sparkling friendship, but capture the flag is tomorrow night, and I have a few questions. Since most of the Romans are gone, it's not going to be too big of a game, so it shouldn't be too dangerous. Will, is Nico allowed to play?" Jason questioned Will.

I hadn't even thought of that! I really want to play, and I will die of boredom if that blonde locks me up in a boring room for some "medical reasons" bullshit. I'm completely fine, gods.

Will looked horrified by the idea of me participating in capture the flag.

"Noo-" Will said, being abruptly cut off.

"I'm completely recovered and will not listen to any of Sunshine's bullshit," I cut in.

Will looked startled, and a little angry. Jason and everyone else didn't hear anything out of the ordinary. Amber, on the other hand, was just plain confused.

"Uh, excuse me, but are you two dating?" Amber questioned.

"No," I said blandly. Will looked extremely flustered and even more shocked than when I cut in on his opinion of my recovery. Seriously- doctor's orders? No. I will do what I want, when I want.

"Pensavo che ti piaceva. Voi due agire come una vecchia coppia sposata!" Amber exclaimed, rolling her eyes. (Translation: I thought you like him. You two act like an old married couple!)

I rolled my eyes, a small grin forming.

"Questo non é il momento né il luogo per questa conversazione. Parleremo piú avanti," I replied, in Italian. (Translation: This isn't the time nor place for this conversation. We'll talk later.)

"Bene. Capisco," Amber said, grinning cheekily. (Translation: Okay. I understand.) Honestly, this girl wasn't a typical daughter of Demeter. She was witty, and had a seemingly rebellious streak. I know we will be good friends.

"Well, capture the flag isn't until tomorrow night. We can figure it out tomorrow at breakfast," Jason said. He looked around, as if confused as to why Amber and I had been talking in Italian.

"But the call for the campfire hasn't been made yet!" Reyna told Jason, annoyed. Reyna had completely gotten over Jason at this point. She no longer cared about him and Piper's relationship. In fact, she was even happy and supportive of them dating. Reyna is a strong young woman. She is the type of girl who doesn't need a man to be strong, a girl who has spent her whole life fighting.

"You're still on bed rest though! NO CAPTURE THE FLAG!" Will exclaimed. It was fun pulling his strings, but I would never do anything to hurt him. Or MOST anyone else. Some people deserve being hurt a little. Now that I think about it, maybe I do like Will, but I don't know and I honestly don't care. I don't really care about romance, at least for now.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of horse hooves pounding towards us.

"Due to the situation of our campers, the campfire tonight is cancelled. Get some sleep for the game of capture the flag tomorrow. I'd like to see someone beat the Ares cabin. They have been in the lead for a couple months now," Chiron said, before galloping away to spread the word.

"Okay guys, I guess that's 'good night'. We should all start heading now," I said, walking towards my cabin.

As I was turning around, I felt someone grab my wrist. I whipped back around, surprised.

"Quando andiamo a parlare di questo?" Amber asked me. (Translation: When are we going to talk about that?) She looked curious, as if she really wanted to know if I liked Will. I sighed.

"Forse domani. Non so," I replied, "What were you going to ask earlier?"(Translation: Maybe tomorrow. I dunno.)

"I... I'll ask you tomorrow. Now go get some sleep," Amber mumbled, looking sad for a moment. With that, I turned around and left for real, pondering this new arrival. On one hand, Amber was kind, smart, and trustworthy, but on the other side, she was pretty curious.

She seems just like an ideal friend for me. Not that I need more friends. Compared to some people I've met, I'm downright social.

I heard some shouts behind me. "Get back here, Death Head?", "Run Nico, be free!", and "Will's right, Nico come back here!" I turned around and started running back, seeing Reyna, Will, and Jason still standing here.

"What is it guys?" I asked. I had completely forgot about the whole "three days of bed rest" thing.

"You still owe me two days of bed rest. And that is why you will not be playing capture the flag," Will informed me, his face stern and condescending.

"Solace, I'm not a little kid, so stop talking to me like one. I can sleep in my own cabin, and I promise not to shadow travel away, okay?" I was getting quite pissed about everyone constantly nagging me.I'm not that little kid playing cards anymore. I've seen more of hell than almost anyone else at camp. Pun intended.

"C'mon Nico," Will whined. I should go with him, I did agree to the other day. The only problem- I don't want to.

"I'll be there eventually," I said, walking towards the woods. The moon was starting to come out, and the sky was painted a beautiful purple colour.

I love how peaceful the forest is at night, as if Mother Nature (disregarding the fact that she is evil) had turned the creatures to silent.

I walked into the forest, feeling the darkness envelop me. I felt much better the second the darkness touched my skin.

After walking a few steps in, I just sat down and began to breathe deeply. I stayed there for a couple of minutes, soaking in the moonlight. I closed my eyes, and inhaled. The crisp, cool air flew down my throat.

A while later, I headed back towards the infirmary. After seeing Will, I altered my course to end up near him.

"So, how do I find my way back to that room?" I nonchalantly asked him. It's not like I have a bad sense of direction; I was distracted last time I went there. I was thinking about a little thing I left under my mattress, a little secret I keep to myself.

Will chuckled, as if the notion of me getting lost was somehow funny. I didn't laugh. "Follow me," he instructed. As I followed him throught the maze of a building, I kept thinking about Amber, and capture the flag, and the war with Gaea. I could have lost so many friends and people who are close to me.

I remember Bianca's death all too well. I never really blamed Percy. Bianca always took on the hardest and most dangerous challenges herself. If only nobody had died on that quest, but I know that it was her time, and nothing can go against fate. She will always be the only thing keeping me grounded, the only thing to help me differentiate past from present.

My memories had returned while I was in Tartarus. She is the only reason I don't think I'm delusional. Almost everything about this new girl reminds me of my sister, but I would know if it was her. It's too early, and her soul had a different energy. She reminds me of every moment spent with my sister. It's painful but comforting at the same time. I get the feeling she knows what it's like to lose someone.

I was suddenly thrown out of my thoughts when Will and I arrived at my room. I really have to stop zoning off! Damn this ADHD.

Will ruffled my hair and grinned at me. "Night, Nico," he said.

I thrust open the door and walked into my room, but not before returning Will's goodbye. Without turning on the lights, I walked straight into the cool and darkened room. I climbed into bed, not worrying about changing clothes or anything. The second my head hit the pillow, I was fast asleep. My last thought before drifting off was of an American band that my sister had shown me. I had fallen in love with their music. A song floated through my brain. I could hear it, although the song wasn't actually playing.

 _"And if your heart stops beating, I'll be here wondering._ _Did you get what you deserve? The ending of your life, and if you get to heaven, I'll be here waiting babe. Did you get what you deserve? The end, and if your life won't wait, then your heart can't take this._

 _Have you heard the new that you're dead? No one ever had much nice to say, I think they never like you anyway. Oh take me from the hospital bed. Wouldn't it be grand? It ain't exactly what you planned. And wouldn't it be great if we were dead? Ohh dead._

 _Tongue tied and oh so squeamish. You never fell in love. Did you get what you deserve? The ending of your life, and if you get to heaven, I'll be here waiting, babe. Did you get what you deserve? The end and if you're life won't wait, then you're heart can't take this._

 _Have you heard the new that you're dead?_ _No one ever had much nice to say, I think they never like you anyway. Oh take me from the hospital bed. Wouldn't it be grand, to take a pistol by the hand? And wouldn't it be great if we were dead?_

 _And in my honest observation, during this operation, found a complication in your heart. So long, 'Cause now you've got (now you've got), maybe just two weeks to live. Is that the most the both of you can give?_

 _One, two, one two three four!_

 _LA LA LA LA LA! LA LA LA LA LA LA! LA LA LA LA LA LA LA! Well, come on._ _LA LA LA LA LA! LA LA LA LA LA LA! LA LA LA LA LA LA LA! Oh, motherf**ker._

 _If life ain't just a joke, (_ _LA LA LA LA LA!) then why are we laughing? (_ _LA LA LA LA LA LA!) If life ain't just a joke, (_ _LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!) then why are we laughing?_

 _If life ain't just a joke, (_ _LA LA LA LA LA!) then why are we laughing? (_ _LA LA LA LA LA LA!) If life ain't just a joke, (_ _LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!) then why are we laughing?_

 _Then why am I dead?_

 _DEAD!"_


	4. Creating Bonds

I woke up pretty early, feeling the refreshing, cold temperature of my pillow. You know how sometimes your pillow is just a little bit colder than room temperature? Look, now I'm rambling.

Being the ADHD child I was, I decided to leave the infirmary and talk to people. After all, it was early enough that Will wouldn't know. Besides, being alone isn't always the most fun. Only most of the time.

I walked out the front door, luckily the secretary didn't notice me. As I walked towards the volleyball and basketball courts, I noticed Amber talking to a girl I'd never seen before. The girl had long, light brown hair, and interesting eyes. Her eyes were bright green, with just a little brown around the irises.

She was wearing tan shorts, and a blue tank top that had two thought bubbles, each bubble saying the word "Okay". The girl was pretty tall, I'd guess five feet five inches. She had a sweet grin, lighting up her face.

"Hello Amber. Who is this?" I asked, gesturing to the other girl.

"Oh, her name is Mandi Reed. She's a daughter of Hephaestus, and has been here for almost a year! Mandi has been really nice," Amber informed me.

"Hello Mandi. I'm Nico," I said, offering my hand to her. She happily shook it. Mandi acted kinda like Will, happy and perky. She might be slightly perkier, though. Normally, I can't deal with perky people. Let's see how this turns out.

"Hi," Mandi said. Amber looked thoughtful for a moment, as if she had forgotten something, and was trying her hardest to remember it.

"WAIT! Weren't you supposed to be on 'bed rest' all day today?" Amber asked. So that's it. I'll probably talk to her about it , like I said yesterday, tomorrow.

"Shhh! Will was still asleep, so I snuck out," I told Mandi and Amber. Thinking hard, I did remember Mandi's shirt now. I vowed long ago to forget that book forever... Suddenly, I came up with an idea. I whispered, "He doesn't seem to understand... I'm divergent and can't be controlled."

Sure enough, both girls cracked up and started bending over, they were laughing so hard.

"Oh god, Nico... I didn't know you were a fangirl!" Amber said, still laughing a little bit. Both of the girls looked around for a minute, as if Will might appear any second. I hope he sleeps until noon. Turns out, that rumour about Apollo kids rising with the sun wasn't true...

"Huh, I prefer the term fan _boy_ but okay," I scoffed, trying to act all proper and offended.

"Nico, we should find another spot to talk... We don't want you in trouble with Will!" Mandi stated, wiggling her eyebrows in that way. Mandi turned around and walked towards the strawberry fields on the far side of Camp Half-Blood. I followed her, and Amber came along too.

As we were talking, Amber turned around, looking curious, "What books have your read?" she asked.

"Oh, you know, The Hunger Games trilogy, the Divergent trilogy, The Maze Runner trilogy, among many others. You name it, I've read it. When you're alone for a few years, you read a lot. I vowed long ago to forget The Fault In Our Stars, but Mandi's t-shirt brought back the painful memories," I said, feigning a sniffle. It didn't work well, considering my face never changed expressions.

Mandi and Amber started laughing again. Mandi jumped, as if she just realised something.

"Wait- did you eat breakfast? You should probably go eat some food..." She said. Why does everyone think I have to eat food? I'm fine. I eat enough to keep me alive.

"Oh, no I haven't eaten breakfast, but I'm fine. I don't normally eat it..." I told them. Mandi looked thoughtful for a moment, and then brushed it off. One of my pet peeves is people telling me to eat, to not feel depressed. You may be trying to help, but it seems to me like you are invalidating my decisions. By this time, we were already in the strawberry fields.

I heard a shout in the distance. "NICOOOO!" Will yelled.

"Quick, get down and stay there," Amber ordered. Mandi and I lied down on the ground, the strawberry plants hiding us. Amber got down as well.

"Ummm... Guys, doesn't this seem kind of like a James Bond scene? Hiding from the enemy, so that you don't get attacked and brutally murdered?" I asked in a whisper volume. Both girls solemnly nodded, but didn't respond. Will must be getting closer.

The next call I heard was from only ten metres away! Will was closing in fast. Grrrr, him and his god damn bed rest! I can't sit there all alone for an entire day! I could easily rest by sitting down here and talking to Mandi and Amber, whom I have already passes the "tolerating" phase.

I looked over at the girls, and Amber was gesturing for my attention.

"When are we going to talk about the thing?" she asked. I knew I would have to tell them, and I honestly didn't care. I mouthed the word "later", and apparently she understood.

We all sat in silence, not moving a muscle. I could now hear Will's footsteps, so he must have been really. The footsteps got closer, until all of a sudden-

"Nico di freaking Angelo, where in Tartarus were you?!" Will asked, seeming pissed. This could be fun...

"Well, you see, this time I actually wasn't in Tartarus. Nasty place, that is," I said, shivering slightly from the memories.

Behind me, my new friends covered their mouthes, so that Will wouldn't hear their laughter. He took a deep breath to calm himself, likely so that he didn't kill me. Now that I think about it, messing with Will is like playing with fire. Extremely fun, but risky and dangerous. I can defend myself, though.

Will reaches down and grabs me by the hand, pulling me up. His grip tightens, and now he is grabbing my wrist. I grab his wrist, and flip him over, my knee pinning down his chest and my knife at his throat.

"That was a warning. Try that again without an invitation and you won't end up so untouched," I warned. Will's face immediately pales, and he nodded. Amber (from the side) smiled lightly.

"Nico, are you positive you two aren't dating?" she asks. I roll my eyes, face still neutral, while Will's face lights up into a blush. He starts stuttering really badly, flustered and trying to find words. I sighed.

"I'm positive," I replied in a dry tone, giving Will a judgmental glance. Both Mandi and Amber shot a long look at Will, and then gave me an unconvinced look. I gave them my "Are you fucking kidding me?" look. Amber sighed, still looking unconvinced. Man, I really do need to explain this whole thing.

I replied to Amber and Mandi with my "side with this psycho and you'll regret it" look. I've had to use that look a lot more through my life than I should have had to... Mandi sighed.

"Will, let Nico stay. We were talking," Mandi said. Will, realising he was still laying on the ground after I threatened him, stood up. Then he remembered that I was supposed to be in the Infirmary, and looked like he was about to protest.

"Nico can sleep in the Infirmary, and we promise to make him sit down while we talk. We're sticking together, and if you don't like it, deal with it," Amber said, her stare challenging Will to argue.

Will, seeing this wasn't a battle he was going to win, stormed away. As soon as he was out of earshot, I sighed. Will is strange, and slightly annoying at times. He's stubborn, and easily embarrassed.

"Did you see his face?" Mandi asked, giggling to herself. She looked around, making sure that we weren't being listened to, and scooted closer to me.

She and Amber moved closer, so that we were sitting in a tiny circle. Mandi looked excited.

"So what is this about you and Will, Nico," she said. Now I'm a little nervous. I know what fangirls act like around their OTP, and I don't want to end up being a part of their armada. Sadly, I don't think that I have a choice.

"Okay... So, I'm a little bit gay," I said, putting sarcasm on the 'little bit' part, so that they would understand my exaggeration. Both of their eyes lit up, and I held up my hand to tell them to hold their questions/ comments until the end of my explanation.

"I used to like Percy, ya know, that really mainstream guy? But now, I don't really like anyone. I don't care though, romance isn't important when you have books, bands, anime and manga," I finished. They both game me looks that said "same", but what they said was completely different.

"But you guys are a cute couple! I ship it!" Amber said, quietly- though her eyes showed me that she wouldn't push me to date him if I didn't want to. Mandi sat there silently, zoning out. Or so it seemed. We sat their in silence for about thirty seconds, until Mandi broke the silence.

"Solangelo!" She muttered. We all looked at her, confused.

"What? That's your new ship name!" She said, a bit impatiently.

We talked for a couple more minutes about this "Solangelo" bullshit. It's not like we're Newtmas or something else that is OBVIOUSLY canon... Right?

Soon, though, I managed to change the subject. We spent the rest of the day talking and getting to know each other. By the time the conch shell blew, signaling dinner, I considered them friends.

I walked with Mandi and Amber to get food. After I got my food, I headed over to the fire to do the custom sacrifice. If only Cthulhu was a Greek god... I remember reading that story as a child.

Then, I walked over to my usual table, not noticing where my new friends sat. I know that we can sit anywhere that we want, but I either get annoyed or feel like an outcast at any of the other tables. Here, at my table, people only sit if they want to talk to me- or if it's Hazel. Either way, I'll live with it.

I looked around. Hazel was sitting with her Roman friends, and Will, Reyna, and Jason are sitting at another table. Another wonderful meal, where I can think about my little package. Hidden in my room, it weighed down heavily on my mind. It's stupid, how nervous I am to tell anyone about that package.

About a minute after I began to eat my steak and fruit, Amber sat down next to me. Her plate had a salad. I took a wild guess- vegetarian. Mandi sat down a few seconds later, and she also had a piece of steak and some fruit.

"Hey Amber, are you a vegetarian?" I asked her.

"Oh, yeah. When I was a little kid I stumbled through a forest one day. Tons of birds lay dead on the ground. That was one of the most disturbing pictures I've ever seen. So, I kinda became a vegetarian once I realised that I didn't want to ever take a life, or have one taken for my meals," Amber said, her tone serious and somber.

"I know what you mean, but I guess I never really thought of it that way," I told her.

"Yeah," Amber said, looking thoughtful. I could see her eyes a little spacey, and I knew that she had entered the world of her memories.

"Are you Italian?" Mandi asked, startling her back to the present.

"Ummm, yeah. I probably don't remember Italy like you think of it today, though," Nico said, looking a little uncomfortable with talking about his past.

"Oh, well, I was born in Italy, but I moved to America when I was around four or five years old. What is it with you Americans and fast food? There is at least one McDonalds on every major street!" Amber said. Her Italian accent was really prominent when she said 'America' and 'McDonalds'. She sounded disgusted by the famous fast-food chain.

"What was you question, from the other day?"I asked. Amber looked sad, and shook her head. She wasn't in the mood to talk about it.

Amber, Mandi and I talked for the most of dinner, but before it finished, Jason and Will walked over. Even before they arrived, we could tell that they were deep in an argument.

"- but we need Nico on our team!" Jason argued, exasperated. He looked like he and Will had been debating this for quite some time.

"No, I told you he hasn't recovered yet!" Will cried, exasperated. He looked like he didn't know how much longer he could take this argument.

"Let Nico decide. Nico, do you want to play?" Jason asked me, his eyes pleading for me to pick his side. He didn't even have to ask. He knew the answer.

"Of course I'm playing! Did you think anyone could stop me?" I said, talking in a sassy tone that rivaled both Leo AND Percy.

Will looked pissed, but Mandi and Amber did not look at all surprised by the sudden amount of sass.

"So what are the teams?" I asked Jason after a moment.

"Here," Jason said, handing me a slip of paper. On it, it read:

TEAMS:

Red team= ATHENA APOLLO POSEIDON HECATE HYPNOS TYCHE APHRODITE HEBE NIKE

Blue team= ARES HERMES ZEUS HEPHAESTUS HADES DEMETER NEMESIS DIONYSUS IRIS


End file.
